Found
by Hypnocessity
Summary: A compassionate and selfless Steven does everything it takes to undo the damage his mother had done to Spinel through her soul crushing abandonment. Even if it took many years, and many different approaches. He’d show her how to love again. How to function. How to trust. And most importantly... he’d teach her how to control her negative emotions, and be happy. With and without him.
1. Solace

Author's Note;

_FIXED THE CHAPTER WOO!! I know how to use mobile now! Thanks reviewers for being on my butt about it otherwise I wouldn't have been able to figure it out so quick. _

_Thanks in advance for giving me a chance. _

_Yikes... I haven't been active for a few years. I really wish I never left. I'm so sorry to disappoint the few who actually enjoyed my stories. I kind of lost the passion for it, even though almost all my reviews were on the positive end. But I dunno, maybe things are gonna be different now that I've grown up a lot more in the past few years. Had way more than enough experiences and trauma in life lately so maybe my work will be better? Either that, or it suffers. Up to you guys to tell me the truth!_

_Anyway, this is a Spinel x Steven fic. Leave now if you don't want to read a Spineven/Stevinel fic._

_I don't think I'll be writing lemons but who knows, I'll keep the rating T for now. It's a different take on Steven's attitude towards Spinel and how just a little change in words could make such a massive difference for the abandoned gem._

_I understand why Steven wasn't jumping the gun to be Spinel's friend and show her his loving hospitality; he was more worried about the planet and his friends. It's totally understandable. I'd have made similar choices if I were him. But in this story, Spinel doesn't leave the earth with the diamonds to live on homeworld. Instead, our lovely little Steven makes a big difference._

_I fell in love with the ship during the song 'Found' in the movie. Incredibly beautiful work. They really outdid themselves with the movie, I'm absolutely enamored with it._

_You'll see, because that's where the story begins!_

_I'm hoping that this time around I'll be here to stay for a while until fan fictions totally lose their worth, if they haven't already._

_Oh, and WHO ELSE WANTS TO GIVE SPINEL A BIG HUG AND LET HER CRY ON THEIR SHOULDER?_

_I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE!!_

_Hah, regardless, here's the story._

_Oh, and I'm gonna leave a little poll (just a list of ships, not a real poll) at the end of the chapter for like background ships so if I get any reviews I'll see what pairings people would like to see in this story._

_Peace!_

"Spinel..." He blinked hard as her name escaped his lips, preparing to yet again put his life on the line for a gem his mother absolutely ruined. For a gem that wanted his very existence gone.

"...come back and save the Earth with me." He thought a moment, before adding, "You can start over, there.. make new friends."

The sorrowful gem sat, not a word escaping her. She kept them all bottled. She was good at that. After all, she'd been doing nothing but thinking for 6,000 years.

Suddenly, she heard his voice as he began walking up to her, slowly taking a seat next to her.

"Someday, somewhere, somehow... you'll love again."

If she had a heart, it would've begun to race. This gem she just tried to kill is sitting next to her singing to her? What is its' problem? Doesn't it understand Spinel wants it dead? Gone? The last trace of the core of all her misery in the universe isn't gone. It's a constant reminder to her of everything that occurred.

"You just need to find, someone..."

She turned away from him slightly, not accepting his extended hand. 'Idiot. Why would I grab your hand? You don't want me around. You just wanna save your planet and leave me foreva. I'm neva being left again... if anyone's leaving anybody, from now on, it's gunna be ME!' she thought, caught in a short state of hatred towards anything and everything.

After winding down, she thought rationally. Does he really want to leave her forever? Everyone in the galaxy is aware of his existence now. He has nowhere to go that he wouldn't be found. No... now that she thought about it, he hasn't even hit her. He's never laid a finger on her no matter what she'd do to him or his friends. The only time he ever did anything remotely close to 'hitting' her was when he sliced her in half, only in defense of his friends. She felt like she knew he wouldn't have done that if she didn't attack his friends. Her eyes adopted a hollow depth to them.

'...am I... the bad guy? ... that's not fair... I just wanted to be a friend.'

Spinel and Steven locked hands, shocking Steven due to her touching his hand with her pinky at first, as if only allowed if invited.

And she accepted his invite, only after thoroughly and cautiously thinking it over, pushing past all of her pain just to hear what he'd say.

They began to sing together, as she finally looked to meet his eyes.

"Some day, some where, some how... I'll/you'll love again... you/I just need to find, some... one~..."

She followed him slowly as they sang, and Spinel, after having her hand let go, couldn't help but stare at the back of his head, awestruck that this person, after everything she'd done, is allowing her back. Giving her a home. Giving her another chance.

She became mesmerized with him in this moment, and all of Spinel's subconscious and conscious dark thoughts began melting away for a little while, as all of her thoughts and attention were being paid in copious amounts to the one she'd locked hands with.

"Someone, who treats you/me, better.."

Step by step, she walked with him. Following him through the garden.

Once again, she had started to feel as if she had already found someone. Was it really okay? After all this time... after everything she had done... did she even deserve to be happy?

These were the thoughts that would always plague her.

But to her pure surprise, she felt nothing of the sort listening to his words. Accepting the emotions she felt when they were good instead of when they were bad.

"Someone who wants you/me around.."

Carefully, Spinel walked up the steps to the warp pad with Steven, because she was still unsure if this was the right thing to do.

But none of that mattered when she looked into his starry eyes, and his big smile. It didn't feel fake. Maybe he wasn't trying to hurt her. Maybe he really was trying to give her a second chance.

"Someday... somewhere... somehow... you're/I'm gonna feel, found..."

Finally, she stepped onto the warp pad with him.

'...are you the one that's gonna treat me better?'

The two disappeared in a flash, leaving the garden empty as it should be. To her, the garden meant suffering and torment, even though it once meant everything to her, because her and Pink made the best of memories there.

'pink...' she thought, still drifting away towards earth with Steven in-hand. '...was I just made... to pass your time?'

She felt Steven's hand squeeze hers, as if he knew what she was thinking.

And she smiled. Very slightly, but it was a smile nontheless. Not a smile of jealousy and hate. Not a smile of pain and agony. But a smile who's source was an emotion Spinel had long forgotten. Long forgotten... and long desired. It was more of a need than a want for the gem, really. After all, she was made to be a best friend.

"Today... right here, right now... I already feel found."

"Today... right here, right now... you already feel found."

They finished their song, and Steven pulled Spinel by the waist, their bodies smushed together in a hug that could only be described as motherly.

Spinel has tears streaming down her face, and she wrapped her rubbery arms around him several times before gently returning his loving embrace, and Steven felt his shoulder grow increasingly wet.

One of his arms let go of her, and before she could react, he began caressing her scalp with the most tender drift of his hand. As if calming down a puppy.

"It's okay to not be okay..." he spoke into her ear. "I can't imagine how you must feel.. I won't pretend I understand. And please... if anything I say makes you feel terrible, tell me to shut up, okay? I care about you and your feelings."

He pulled away, the gem still held tight in his other arm. She looked up at him with a faint quizzical look after giving him a small nod, permitting him to continue his sensitive statements, still crying silently. It had felt like forever that they stared into each other's eyes in this moment. Steven was trying to figure out the right words to say while Spinel didn't really care. She was found. She would be loved and cared for. She can finally be a best friend again.

"Hm... I guess, what I mean is..." Steven scratches his chin, sheepishly grinning at her. "What my mom did to you was horrible... but I'm nothing like her. All my life, I felt like I was living in my mom's shadow. I felt like, that if I didn't be like her, nobody would respect or notice me. But I have friends, they taught me that it's okay to be my self, and that it's okay to not want to live in someone's shadow. Cleaning up their messes. Doing everything they should've done."

"And today, I'm gonna do something similar for you. I'm gonna teach you that if somebody loves you, they wouldn't abandon you like that. If somebody loves you, they'll always want you around. I'm gonna teach you that you're wanted, Spinel. I want you around. You're a part of my family now... and I trust you. I know you can change. I know you can be a better person. I know you must've hurt a lot inside when you hurt me and my friends... I know it isn't you. It's your pain and suffering. I want you to know that I forgi-"

Steven's speech was cut off as Spinel squeezed the life out of him, crying so much harder than before, after staring at him wide-eyed and mouth slightly agape listening to his beautiful words. It was too good to be true. Someone like him shouldn't exist. He can't possibly exist. It's too good. For the first time in 6,000 years... she finally felt understood. Accepted. Wanted.

Steven became her solace.

_Damn! Alright, that took a bit of time. I wrote it in one sitting so I hope it isn't too bad. Future chapters I'm gonna spend more time on especially, so don't worry if this chapter isn't all that great. I'm planning to drag this out as long as I can. I love this ship to death. Nobody shall sink me. Muahahaha!!_

_Also, don't hate me but there might be more music related chapters in the future. But I have good taste in cartoon songs dangit so trust me!! Trust me how Steven trusts Spinel in this story!!_

_Okay okay, the poll. This is a Steven x Spinel fanfic so this story won't contain Steven being with anyone else. Just a fuck ton of fluff and good feelings between Steven and the other gems!! I promise!!_

_Lapis x Peridot_

_Lapis x Jasper_

_Lars x Sadie_

_Lars x Emerald_

_Alright my brain is fried for today if anyone wants to see any pairings that aren't listed in the poll please say so and I'll add it to the list in the future. Thanks for reading! I'll update weekly or bi-weekly._

_Ciao!!_


	2. PinkyPromise

_I will be responding to reviews at the bottom of each chapter, though only a maximum of 5 or 10 depending on if this story picks up traction or not. I will also from now on place all author's notes at the bottom of future chapters, for cleanliness purposes. _

_At the end of the chapter, there's an underlined author's note that is slightly important to the story. You'll notice something's different as you read and it will be explained at the end._

_Also, oh my god, 6 reviews in 24 hours?! You're all so great. Thanks for your wonderful time. I didn't even expect a single review. Too kind!! My heart can't take this._

_BINGO BONGO! Consider it a gift for all the lovely reviews. I said I'd update it weekly or bi-weekly, but here's this! _

_I didn't rush it, I spent quite a lot of my free time drawing sketches n doodles, and writing this chapter, so please let me know if it's satisfactory or not. _

_I need to know what I should focus on more, but for now, I'm focusing on fluffiness and good feelings. I'm good at writing dark fiction but I need to test my hand at fluff and lovey dovey mushy gushy goodness!!_

_You've all inspired me to put out another chapter rather quickly with your kind, honest reviews. You've earned it, THANK YOU!_

_**Please enjoy Chapter 2: Pinky Promise. **_

"Hey, hey... I'm sorry if I went too far. I thought really hard about what I was gonna say, and I hope I didn-" Steven began, trailing off until Spinel unwrapped her arms from him and gave him a small smile.

"No, actually... I feel like... maybe ya _could_ understand me." She said quietly, looking down at his feet as she ended up burying her scalp into his chest. She stared at the floor, their feet inches from each other.

Spinel realized then just how forgiving and compassionate of a person Steven is. Just earlier he was fighting for his life defending himself from her.

And now... she's being accepted by that very same person, being held, talked to, comforted, supported... loved. She felt so very loved and important because of him.

He did so much more than Pink Diamond had ever done for Spinel, and she's only been his friend for a few minutes.

That spoke volumes to her she didn't even understand. As if the volumes being read to her were foreign in language.

Maybe Steven would help her decipher all of it. It's all she had to cling to right now. If she didn't have Steven as a friend, she'd be all alone, _all over again. _

The promises he spoke, the warmth in his words, the aura that surrounded him... it felt as if he was the most trustworthy person she'd met yet.

'Oh, gee... I guess I should apologize. It's a start, right? Gotta do somethin, gotta start somewhere.' Spinel danced around the thought, but not for long. She knew that this was the right path to walk.

"I'm... sorry I hurt ya friends.." she squeaked out, voice muffled in his shirt.

"I forgive you." Steven replied, walking around her and extending a hand.

Spinel turned her head, and her body followed suit as she walked toward his extended limb. She had already held hands with him quite a few times.

She missed the physical connection between her and... anybody.

"Follow me and let's go stop that injector." Spinel felt a bit guilty hearing him say that, but knowing what her reward would be for saving the planet, she knew she couldn't refute his request in any way.

Not like she would bother saying no at this point... his friendship, his presence, the way he knew exactly what to say to make someone feel better. The way he seemed to care about anyone and everyone else more than himself.

Right now, out of everyone she knows, Steven is the most likely person to become best friends with.

But is that even what Spinel wanted anymore?

What if he didn't want to be best friends with her anymore at some point?

She'd just have to find a way to trust him.

Her fragile and weak mental state combined with her own insecurities, anger and trust issues; a broken heart; a fading star hidden deep in space, never to be found.

His strong and compassionate mindset combined with his own warm loving heart and the memories that have molded him into who he is now; a radiant, _shining_ star.

They just seemed to fit.

And he'd share with her as much of his star's light as he could to get her's up and running again.

_Nobody _deserved to feel the way Spinel feels. It's so obvious, even to him, the depth of her trauma. It's in the way she talks, in the way she acts, in the way her expressions look, even her gem's physical form is a physical representation of the never ending despair she holds within her.

It makes Steven shudder in fear, imagining him being Spinel, left alone for many millennia, to suffer in silence, standing still for what seemed like an endless mile in the very home she'd been abandoned in, waiting for an answer that would never reach the ears of the one who needed it most.

When that thought crosses his mind... he'd do anything to make things better for her. It would be one hell of a learning process, because this is far more difficult and complex than any other gem he'd met up until this point.

Lapis was definitely one of the hardest gems to be persuaded into becoming a crystal gem; always on and off about staying on earth and becoming a crystal gem, stealing the ocean in desperation, even fighting the crystal gems. She had her own personal traumas involving Jasper and homeworld.

Peridot was always an oddity; the extremely intelligent and overly prideful tech-savvy data-fiend, but she wasn't all that hard to win over compared to Lapis, though she too fought the gems.

And Bismuth was also quite easy to turn over to the Crystal Gems, compared to the others. Didn't make it easy, but it wasn't as hard as mending back together Spinel's broken heart.

This was a challenge Steven wasn't backing down from. He'd never back down from anything ever again.

A big part of her decided that she would do anything to be better. If it meant not hurting him or his planet again, she'd do anything to restrain her negative emotions.

Taking his gentle but strong hand, she nods at him, ready to fix the mess she made.

It was gonna be really hard to see the crystal gems for her right now, but she knew with Steven by her side, he'd come to her defense.

Walking out of the warp room, she made it with him to the staircase, but she let go of his hand and stopped behind him.

Noticing the absence of her footsteps trailing behind him, he stopped to turn around, only to see a shy looking gem.

"I-I don't think they really want to see me right now..." She made an excuse, it was too hard for her to see the crystal gems after all. His eyes softened and he gave her a short but sweet chuckle.

"It's okay, Spinel. You have to trust me. I befriended many gems who have tried to take my life. But you're not like them... you're different." He rubbed the back of his neck, giving her a shrug.

"..._different_?" She repeated his word quietly. She liked the sound of being different. But... "...different... _how_?" Spinel repeated his words in a question, and much to her enjoyment, he got a bit flustered.

"W-Well, not in a bad way! I mean, you're... uh... _oh_, how do I put it?" Steven put fingers to the bridge of his nose, trying to think of a way to say what was on his mind.

Spinel, patiently waiting for his answer, didn't really seem all that upset. She seemed to enjoy his flustered state, he took note of.

"After that horrible stuff happened to you, you just need a _bit_ extra attention to feel accepted and welcome. And I'm _more_ than happy to give you all of my attention, Spinel."

Although he was flustered, she definitely didn't expect such a serious and composed response. It made her non-existent heart flutter. Every time he spoke, she felt the truth.

"I mean, you care a lot. You have love In your heart... you were just betrayed." Steven spoke, his voice unwavering. "I'll help you learn to love all over again."

She didn't feel any mischief in his words. Or lies. Just... **warmth**. **Welcoming**.

She couldn't get enough. And she didn't care to think about why, or if she even _should. _

"Now, let's go, okay? I promise you're gonna be safe with me. Nobody's gonna hurt you. If I forgive you, the others will too."

Spinel nodded, cautiously taking hold of his hands as he walked her down the steps backwards, facing her as she walked down facing forward. Facing him.

"See? Just stay with me. I'll protect you." Her lips curled up in an embarrassed smile, but that was all the reply he needed. He knew she was strong enough to not need to be protected; after all, she did defeat the crystal gems.

Even so, he felt like it had become his duty. And not only that, but he enjoyed spending time with gems. He enjoyed learning about them, even now, when he thought he had learned it all.

And at long last, they made it down the stairs, only to be barraged by the crystal gems, readying their weapons. Spinel became frightened as if she were a deer in the headlights, hiding behind Steven's back.

No longer was she the malicious, unforgiving Spinel. Nor was she the gullible, aimless party clown of a best friend.

She didn't even know what or who she was anymore, or who she was supposed to be.

'I knew it. This was a bad idea... they hate me. They all hate me...' She looked into his back, closing her eyes.

All of her insecurities quickly came flooding back into her mind. She couldn't do this after all.

"**Stop!**" Steven practically gave an order to the gems. Coming quickly to Spinel's defense, the crystal gems could already tell Steven had made up with Spinel.

"We're **_not_** fighting. Everything is **_okay_**, Spinel is calm now. She's here to help. Right, Spinel?" He finished, hinting at her to show her face to them.

Sluggishly, she emerged from behind him, looking down at the floor.

"I'm really sorry for hurting ya, guys... Pink, what she did, she... um... what she..." she bit her lip, unable to continue.

She turned to Steven who quickly embraced her in his chest. Gentle sobs eminated from his chest, so he squeezed her a bit harder. _It's okay, _is what the hug would've said if the hug was a sentient being. And because it was _his_ hug, she believed in it.

It was exactly like taking care of a traumatized person who needed constant affection and love to feel somewhat okay.

...oh.

"It's okay, Spinel." Rubbing her back, and looking at the crystal gems, they lowered their weapons. Hesitantly, but they did.

"Are you sure, Steven?" Pearl asked, worried more for him than anything.

"_Pearl_," Garnet replied, an inflection in her voice to draw Pearl's attention and focus away from the two gems that held each other close. "She's not going to do anything bad this time."

Pearl looked up at Garnet, then back at the two, and closed her eyes to let out a gentle sigh. "Well, alright... Steven clearly already forgave her, and he's trying to help her. We'll forgive you too, Spinel."

Spinel felt a weight lift off of her shoulders, but she didn't turn around, instead her sobs de-escalated to sniffles.

And that was enough for everyone around them to know that Pearl had done the right thing, following the same path as Steven; forgiveness, kindness, _compassion_.

It was something that they all had learned an even _deeper_ understanding of, after watching Steven befriend gems like Lapis Lazuli, Peridot, Bismuth, even the **_Diamonds_**.

Steven was a true _monster_ in that regard. His ability to make friends with just about anybody made him very powerful with that alone.

"Yeah, it's okay that you sliced me in half or whatever, but we're definitely gonna have a rematch someday!" Amethyst said, in an attempt to make Spinel feel a bit more at home.

Pearl instantly grimaced, while Garnet brought two fingers up to her nose, already having seen this outcome; she just didn't think it really would've happened this way, otherwise she would've shut Amethyst up before she spoke.

Amethyst could be a bit insensitive when it came to her choice of words sometimes, but her intentions always meant the best.

Unfortunately, for Spinel's shattered heart along with her current mental state, it was hard to perceive it as a lighthearted joke.

"No!" She yelled into Steven's chest. "I... don't wanna fight no more..." she muttered.

She felt so low. She felt like absolute scum. How could she be forgiven? She tried to kill everyone and everything a little while ago… and now they're treating her like family?

"Hey, it's chill, dude. I didn't mean a real fight. I trust ya." Amethyst knew what to say if things ended up like this. Steven knew she was good at being the cool big sister.

Garnet's eyes adopted a sad demeanor behind her visors, so of course nobody could see it. 'That poor thing... she's so broken. But I know Steven can help her.' she thought.

'So many different ways this could end, but I'll leave it up to you, Steven. You've accomplished the impossible so many times, I know you can handle this yourself.'

Garnet gave Steven a small smile and formed a heart with her hands for him while he caressed Spinel's head, and held her close in comfort.

Steven blushed, and his eyes narrowed in embarrassment. But he looked back a second later, and smiled at Garnet. If he could, he would've held up a heart for her, too. But he wouldn't dare let go of his precious Spinel right now.

Wait... _his?_

Deciding it was time to leave for the injector, or more specifically, to leave the two alone for a moment for a potentially ideal future outcome, Garnet gently grabbed Pearl's arm and lead her toward the door, going outside to somehow at least slow down the spreading of the chemical within the injector until Steven and Spinel arrived.

While he was busy comforting her, Amethyst followed shortly, only after seeing the look in his eyes.

It told her 'Go. Don't worry at all.'

She looked away from him to see that they had left the room, and with a sigh of relief, finally alone with Steven, she walked over to and fell on the couch.

"Spinel..." he walked toward her, seating himself a person away from her.

"How are you feeling?" He placed his hands by his side, letting them fall limp as he relaxed with her.

A sigh escaped her lips. "Oh, Steven... what am I gonna do?" She held her forearm over her face, covering her eyes.

"What do you mean?" He replied with much concern.

"I mean... what am _I_ gonna do?..." Spinel began sniffling silently, holding back tears. Steven gently grabbed ahold of the hand that lay resting at her side, and squeezed it.

"We're gonna get through this... together. Your pain is my pain now, okay? I'll help you confront everything head-on soon, I promise. But we can't wait around much longer... we don't have time to talk yet; there won't be anything left of this planet soon, and if we don't save it, how am I gonna save you?"

He felt bad for repeating himself a bunch about the planet dying, but saving the planet was just as important as saving her in Steven's mind.

His words seemed to pierce a chord in her non-existent heart that hadn't been struck in thousands of years. She wiped her eyes with her arm, sitting upright, her hand still locked in his. They'd been doing that a lot since they sang together.

"Y-You're right... I'm sorry, I jus-"

"No, no! Please, _don't_ apologize for how you feel." He retorted quickly, making her sprout the smallest of blushes upon her features.

"I'm gonna save you, but we have something else to save first. Pinky promise?"

Spinel raised an eyebrow, staring down at his extended baby finger.

"Pinky... promise?" She repeated, never before hearing such a phrase.

"Yeah, it's a special promise. It's better than a regular promise. When we cross pinkies, it's kind of like a contract in a way, I guess. Come on, pinky promise."

Steven smiled at her, baring his full white set of teeth and closed eyelids. She looked at his pinky, then back at him, and finally, she wrapped her pinky around his. Six times.

Steven opened his eyes and hid his teeth behind a regular thin-lipped smile.

"See? Now there's no way I can go back on my promise. Not like I ever would have." All the constant reassurance, attention and affection in the world couldn't add up to how much this one person held inside of him.

She noticed, and she couldn't get enough. Even if it was wrong, or selfish, she could see herself standing beside this person forever.

'Someone who treats me better... huh?' She thought to herself, lips curling into a big, bright smile. The song they sang together resonated more and more within her the more Steven proved to be the perfect person in the universe.

"Alright, time to go save this floating rock!" Spinel shouted at him, much to his pleasant surprise.

Before she could get out of the door, Steven ran up to her and hugged her from behind.

"Thank you, Spinel... thank you..." he chanted into the back of her neck, making her shudder. If she were able to produce goosebumps, her skin would've been crawling with them.

Her chest finally felt full. If her body was an empty water bottle, she just got a full refill. She felt a warmth emanating from deep within herself. Was it happiness? Strength? Courage? Love?

She took ahold of one of his hands that wrapped around her waist and gripped it with a tenderness that Steven didn't know she had until now. He'd seen her most basic state, a very hyperactive bouncy stretchy best bud, and he'd seen her during her darkest of times, a ruthless, merciless nightmare.

Maybe he really _could_ help her find the balance between the two. Maybe Steven _really could _fix her, give her the Yin and Yang that she had long lost.

"Aw gee, well, it's what friends are for, right?" Spinel smiled a vibrant smile, though Steven couldn't see it.

"After all, it's kinda sorta my mess, I should be the one to clean it up, right?"

_Yaaaay, everyone's favorite..._

_...another big author's note._

_I'm super proud of this chapter and myself, so any negative reviews won't affect me at all. But of course, I'm open to criticsm. Who isn't, when they post their private work in the eye of the public? _

_(FYI I had to find 10 different ways to shorten this author's note. Think about that. I shortened this 10 times. And it's still big... I really am a nightmare, HAH!)_

_Anyway..._

_WOO! 4,000 words! Cool. _

_I promise after this one it's gonna be small A/N's from now on. I pinky promise... get it? But seriously, if I break this promise, feel free to kill me. _

_You're free to skip all this if you'd like._

_**BUT! **_

_There are two more underlined author's notes below that are necessary to read to understand a tiny tiny bit more about the story, if you don't mind. Thanks for your patience and time!_

_An important piece of information I forgot to mention is that Steven brought back all the crystal gems before saving Spinel from her own mind. I apologize for the random lil plot hole I made but it was on purpose._

_It would've been fun to write, like super fun... probably... but I'm more focused on the main pairing. Of course, I'm going to include many other characters in the story as well, either as pairings or background characters._

_It just would've been a lot of extra work to write a few chapters about how Steven returns the crystal gems to normal when we've already seen it, whereas this story hasn't been seen or made yet. _

_It's merely what route I'm most comfortable taking with this story, considering the ideas I have in store for it. _

_Hopefully it'll be well-received regardless of this obvious plot hole that wouldn't allow the movie to function chronologically as it did. _

_I have SO many ideas in store for this story and I really hope it plays out the way I desire in my head. It's gonna be so much fluff man._

_*whispers* so much..._

_These first few chapters are more like me 'testing the waters' and seeing how people react to my writing style, while at the same time still giving the story my 110%._

_If they like it, what they would change, etc._

_Feel free to express yourselves with a review; It'll help me improve my story in the long run, thanks for all the advice and support in advance, my glorious, radiant stars!!_

**_In loving response to;_**

**Cor Aurum;** _Aw, thank you very much. I'm happy you like it so far! I'm gonna give this story everything I have with the help of my reviewers. :)_

**Tequoia;** _Thank you!! Yeah, I learned how to fix it after I got your review. I figured I shouldn't slack on it since it twisted my experience reading my own work as well. _

**SpritesOfTheWind;** _No worries! There wasn't a poll, just an option of ships people would like to see make an appearance in the story, at the end of the chapter. :) I'm definitely doing Lapidot at some point, Pearl x Mystery Girl will be quite difficult seeing as how we barely know her personality, but it's tempting. I'm interested in that pair too. Thanks for your time and suggestion!_

**iggychan89;** _Hehe, I'm excited to write it. I hope the future chapters will be just as rewarding to read through. :) And yeah, no worries now! I got the left-alignment problem under control._

_Mobile was odd about it, though only because I was odd with the way I uploaded my chapter via mobile, but I fixed it after updating the first chapter only like 8 times... —_— pain in the butt, but I learned it. Thank you!! _

**DarkShadowNin;** _Hopefully your attention I keep! And UGHHH I know!! Someone needs to hug that gem for 6,000 years to make all her pain go away. :( Thank you for the review :)_

**FanDelLapiven;** _ We need to all just form a line of headpatters and at the receiving end of the line is Spinel. ENDLESS HEAD PATTING I TELL YOU!! Lars x Tsundere Emerald? Very intriguing, definitely will consider. Thanks for the review and suggestion!_


	3. Raindrops

Blowing loudly into her hand-horn, the injector stopped shortly after.

And shortly after that, came the cheers of Garnet, Pearl, Amethyst, Lapis, Peridot, Bismuth, Greg, Connie, Lion even gave a little grumble and Pumpkin was yipping away in joy, mostly because everyone else was.

They all gathered near the back of Greg's truck and the other gems began grabbing tools out of the back to begin cleaning up some of the devastation; their efforts and hard work _**never**_ going unnoticed or unmappreciated by the _also_ hard working denizens of Beach City.

Steven ran away from them to see Spinel after sharing a cheer with them, the gem of which was much closer to the injector, and picked her up in a massive embrace, swinging her around in circles. She began giggling and he was laughing.

Connie stared at them with narrowed eyes. She felt oddly jealous for some reason. Just earlier, she kissed him on the cheek.

Sure, Steven was overly friendly with the crystal gems... but watching him with Spinel, it just couldn't help but make her feel like she was watching a happy couple be happy.

It gave her a warm feeling in her stomach that hurt. Not the good kind of warmth, but the anger, the skepticism, the question-everything mentality due to suspicion wether it be wrongfully or rightfully.

She too walked away from the cheering crowd, and toward the two.

Steven placed Spinel down, staring into her eyes. She felt taken a bit off guard; she hadn't stared into his eyes all that often, but whenever she did, she felt an endless depth of love held within his bright shining orbs.

"Steven..." Connie coughed out, making them aware of her presence.

"Oh, Connie! Hey!" He turned to see narrowed eyes and crossed arms, and body language that _yelled_ impatience. Any longer and she would've been tapping her feet.

Spinel quickly felt uneasy. Who was this random girl and why did they seem so close? The tone in his voice seemed to say they were close.

And Steven was sweating because of her, she took note of. Is he _scared_ of her? Well, nobody would hurt him, not on Spinel's watch.

She prepared herself to get in an attack stance when she spoke again, and remained still, trying her best not to look angry or jealous too; she wouldn't want to cause another scene and more issues for the already drained and hurt Steven.

He thought so much about Spinel's well-being and feelings this entire time, she figured she'd return the favor by biting her lip and burying her feet in the soil, maintaining the best poker face she could.

"We need to talk." She said in a tone that meant business. Steven gulped and sweat-dropped. "Why? We talk all the time. What about?" He felt like he knew where this would lead, for some reason.

He's 16 now, different thoughts have been entering his head lately and hormones have been changing his body physically and mentally.

Puberty was really hitting him hard physically with the height gain and weight loss due to fat redistribution over time from his growth.

It's not that he thought about Spinel or Connie in any odd ways; he had only pure thoughts. That and this stage of life hasn't affected him mentally just yet. But puberty is a rollercoaster he's yet to ride all the way through, and it's only getting started.

"That... gem." She pointed at Spinel, who felt as if she was put on the spot, and frowned. Keeping her composure, that's all she ended up doing. "Yeah, she's Spinel. And?" He replied, sounding defensive.

'_Oh, my...'_ Spinel thought, '_is he... fighting for me?'_

She felt her face heat up. She couldn't hide anything now, so she hid behind Steven, furthering the annoyance of Connie, and thinning out her patience to a hair.

Connie paused for a moment, looking between the two. "I know... but-"

"Listen, Connie." He interrupted, further serving to increase the intense heat bubbling up inside of the human girl. "I can't talk right now. I have some important stuff to do, can we please hold this off until later?"

Connie closed her eyes in a huff, but quickly let the negative emotion wash over her. '_Take a moment, remind yourself..._' she thought.

"Alright, fine. But don't forget about it, okay Steven?" She asked for confirmation that they would have this talk another time.

But confirmation isn't exactly what she received.

"Alright, yeah, thank you Connie. I appreciate it." Steven grabbed Spinel's hand and ran toward his house. Connie watched as they ran off, and she locked eyes with Spinel who glanced behind her shoulder for a split second.

'_I really don't like this..._' she thought to herself, but took another deep breath and mulled over the song her, Steven and Garnet sang together. She'd go sit on the shoreline and meditate, at least not all of it was affected.

Inside the house, Steven guided Spinel up to his room. Walking up the stairs, he never once let go of her hand. He didn't give it much thought, but he really liked holding hands with her In particular. It just felt... different somehow.

Shutting the door to his room, he sat on his bed, and patted the empty spot next to him.

"We should talk." He requested softly, to which she obliged rather happily, propping herself up on his bed, leaning her head against his shoulder. "Is this okay?" Spinel asks.

"Of course, Spinel." He wrapped one of his warm arms around her shoulder and pulled her a bit closer, making her blush.

They sat in silence for a while, looking out of his window. Recently, since Steven is older, Bismuth decided to build him his own room inside his home, giving him a better sense of security and privacy.

He decorated it simplistically, hanging a few picture frames along the wall his bedroom door was connected to.

On the left side of the wall were pictures of the crystal gems and him. The first picture is him with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl inside the kitchen of their home, from before he knew how to summon his shield.

Every picture after that from left to right are photos with him and each gem individually. They were all taken on the beach, but at different times to give the photos extra spice.

On the right side of the wall were individual pictures of him and his father, him and Connie, and him, Sadie Lars. His walls were a darker beige, pleasant to the eyes.

A pleasantly dark brown hardwood floor lay under small red rugs on each side of his bed to get up in the morning on a soft cushiony surface.

Deep pink bedsheets with black covers lay atop his double-sized bed, though he usually only ever sleeps alone.

The only time he hadn't was when he taught Peridot how to fall asleep because she was too nervous of the monstrous weather.

"So... pink diamond, huh?" Steven blurred out. He had no idea how to start this.

Spinel took her head off of his shoulder and stared at him for a minute, before bursting into a laughing fit.

"THAT'S how you start the conversation huh, Mistuh Universe? PFFT!! HEHEHEHAHAHA!~" Spinel fell onto his floor, giggling and cackling hysterically, leaving a tomato red Steven, embarrassed for his approach, still sprouted a warm smile.

Just seeing the gem having a good time and laughing as hard as she could... it made him feel good inside.

At his expense or not, it gave him more hope for being useful to her journey through trauma recovery. Besides, being embarrassed wasn't really anything new to him.

"Sorry... I just don't wanna say something insensitive to your feelings." Steven replied, and gradually her giggles faded into snickers, into silence. She looked up at him with a small smile.

"You care so much about others..." Spinel said quietly.

"What?" He asked, not hearing her low tone of voice. "I-It's nothing, I just said..." she trailed off, looking elsewhere.

Anywhere else in the room but his direction right now. It was her turn to be embarrassed.

"Look..." Steven let out a really long sigh. "Let's just relax a little bit and then we'll try again."

He got up off the bed and walked toward his giant window. He got an amazing view of the entire shoreline of Beach City. A beautiful view.

Spinel followed shortly after, taking her place next to his left side. They both gaze at the endless blue ocean and the darkening sky. Stars began to appear a moment after, and Spinel thought it was quite a gorgeous sight.

"She really hurt you bad... didn't she?" Steven asked quietly.

"Mmhmm..." she replied, weakly.

"I always wondered if she'd ever come back... I spent all that time... just, starin into the sky, waitin, wonderin, watchin. Hoping..."

Spinel's eyes shimmered with wetness as she gazed into the shore, thinking about the torturous millennia.

"If I were her, I would've never made such a selfish mistake." He said with a bit of attitude in his voice, taking Spinel off-guard.

"You're so much more than you believe yourself to be." Before continuing, he paused to take a thought, staring st the same view as her.

'_I'll show you that you are_.'

"I don't know you much, but your good side is one of the most enjoyable, uplifting things you have to offer." He touched a hand against the window, causing her to spare him a glance of her time.

"And I love that about you." Her face warmed up immensely at the mention of the word 'love'.

"G-Gee, well... thanks..." Spinel thanked him quietly, too embarrassed to speak in a normal tone.

Steven removed his hand from the window, grabbed one of her hanging hands, and did something different.

He interlocked his fingers with hers in a tight hand-hold. She quickly caught on and did the same, enjoying how easily his hand seemed to fit hers.

'_His hands.._.' The gem looked down at where they were connected. '_They're always so... warm_.'

"Everyone has their bad sides... I don't blame you for taking your pain out on me and some others. I mean, who else could you have, right? I'm basically pink diamond, I know I'm her son but I have her gem. And it makes me sick knowing what she did to you."

Spinel gripped his hand tighter. He knew it hurt her to talk about Pink. They both did, of course.

But he wouldn't stand around and let her bottle this up for who knows how many more thousands of years.

He wanted her to face this head on. With him. Even if things turned ugly, he decided on his own that he'd always be there for her.

She was a fragile and mentally broken gem who needed constant guidance and advice, from someone who knew what they were talking about, and so constant that only Steven would be able to do it.

He took in a deep breath.

"And over the years I've grown to... as much as I hate to say it... dislike her... at least, not all of her. She had her good parts. Everyone has good and bad in them... nobody is just one." Steven said, his words becoming a bit more philosophical. He gave her hand a squeeze, and then she looked up to notice an expression leaking into his features that she recognized all too well.

Steven was _sad. _

'_No... why are you sad? Don't look that way..._' She thought to herself, and indeed she wanted to speak on it, but kept silent. She wanted to pay attention and really absorb his words, letter by letter, meaning after meaning.

Spinel's face lightly twisted into an empathetic look. An emotion and expression foreign to her, though she paid it no thought in this moment.

'_...Guess I'm not the only one she hurt, huh?_' An epiphany lodged itself deep in her metaphorical brain, and like blood, the information shot through each vessel. She thought somberly, refusing above all else to let go of his hand right now.

"As I grew up, I began learning more of her... I was told amazing stories of everything she did, but from people who only spoke about the good things, because I was young..." She understood quickly what that meant. Socially awkward or not, she knew what it meant to hide parts of who you are.

Pink did it to her by abandoning her, after all.

She did it herself, by accessing a part of herself she never knew she had until her abandonment began; Evil. Hate. Revenge. Mask or not, she felt those emotions and acted upon them.

A very complex gem, she was.

And then, Steven's voice faded back into her non-existent eardrums.

"...who I thought she was, that image was destroyed after so many secrets had been revealed time and time again, it shattered my mind. I love her, because she's my mom, but I don't agree with a lot of the things she did. Out of everything she did... what she did to you was the worst."

All Spinel felt in this moment was pain, torment and suffering. All the emotions she knew like the stars in the sky she had stared at for so, so, so long. But she knew this wasn't to hurt her. Steven had told her that he wanted to sit down, talk over things and face her problems head-on, together.

Together...

He even shared some his pain with her right now. So of course he wouldn't hurt her.

_'I wish I could stay here forever, with him._' And he spoke words that made her for a moment believe he was a mind-reader.

"I'm a human, so I can't live hundreds of years, even thousands. But, I promise you that for whatever time I have in my life, I'm gonna spend it all with you. Of course I have family and friends to be with too, but you're going to be there with me. Even when nobody else is."

"Steven... stop..." Spinel fell to her knees, staring at their reflections in the window rather than the gorgeous view outside.

"Hey, hey... I'm sorry... did I do something wrong? I don't wanna hurt you." Steven asked comfortingly and lovingly, much to her pleasure.

As he would shortly learn by her next words, no matter how good he was to her, no matter what promises he made, her insecurity and pain remains.

"No... but, if you promise me all these things, I'm scared you won't be able to keep those promises... what if you leave me? What if I end up all alone again? I don't ever wanna go through that ever a-"

And he would definitely put an end to her misery by giving her everything she needs, and _more. _He felt the desire burn in his chest, in his _gem _like a wildfire, able to extinguish all water thrown its' way.

Steven got on his knees next to her and grabbed one of her hands, taking her pinky and extending it. Quickly after, he would extend his and wrap it around hers. Covering their intertwined pinky fingers with his other hand, he kissed the top of his hand.

_'I am cared for._'

"I pinky promise you're never going to be alone ever again."

Astonished at her mind for the worries and doubts quickly fading away, she stared at him in silence with tears quietly streaming down her face. Her mouth only very slightly hanging open.

'_The pinky promise thing... he's serious, huh_?' Her mouth closed to turn into a lower-lip bite, the silent tears falling faster.

"You can trust me, Spinel. I know it's really hard... maybe it seems impossible. But I haven't hurt you yet. And I never plan on it."

She just sat there, absorbing his words like a sponge, hyper-analyzing every letter he spoke.

"And if things get too hard for you to bare alone, you always have me to come to. I can help you with everything. But it all starts with you. I need your trust. Do you trust me?"

Staying silent due to being all choked up, she stopped biting her lip and let out a gentle, defeated sigh.

This time, she was happy to accept defeat.

"...t...ou...ven..."

"I didn't hear that, Spinel." He prodded. He'd make her say it, more for herself than for him.

"I trust you, Steven."

Immediately after these words left her lips, he gave her a gift she would never ever forget. Not even if another few thousand years come to pass. Something she had never experienced or felt before.

Steven had planted the smallest, gentlest, warmest kiss on her forehead.

"Good." He closed his eyes and bared his teeth at her in a massive smile. He didn't think he did anything wrong by kissing her forehead.

But for Spinel...

In that moment, just for that one moment, everything was absolutely perfect. She felt nothing but his emotions. Flowers seemed to float around them and bloom with such majesty, she could almost smell the fragrance. She felt her gem begin to glow a little bit, but again, paid not a single thought to it. It was ablaze with joy, with _hope. _

As scary as it was for her to hope again, she felt as if he could give her all the courage, all the pushes in the right direction that she'd ever need. All of her worries and pain melted away and all she could think of and focus on was him. Not that Pink was a part of him. Not that she tried to murder him.

The only thing she thought of right now, is the thought of wishing this would never end. The acceptance, the love, the hospitality.

After so long, it once again became foreign emotion to her. But the nostalgia of these feelings hit rather quickly, and she remembered all about what she had been missing.

She smiled one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen her sport, and he enjoyed every second of it, taking it all in like a treasure worthy of laying his eyes upon. Suddenly, they heard gentle taps on the window. The pair looked toward his massive glass window, and Steven noticed it began to drizzle. The clouds were settling in, and the sky was darkening from sunset and the thickness of the impending rain.

The gentle pitter-patter was white noise to him, and he enjoyed the sound. Spinel had no idea what it was, but looking at his face as he stared into the rain outside, she knew it wasn't dangerous, and knew it was something to be enjoyed.

So there she said, leaning her head on his shoulder, enjoying it with him.

Her _best friend_.

After a full minute of what felt like meditating in a serene, crystal blue lake filled with flowers, she decided to implore the subject of this falling stuff.

"Hey..." she said in a tired, relaxed voice, sounding quite pleasant to the eardrums of Steven. Without looking while enjoying the view with her, he replied, "What's up?" In a similar tone, sounding quite soothing to the gem.

"What is this stuff, anyway?" He knew she was talking about the rain, so he was quick to answer.

"It's water that falls from the sky." He answered quietly and gently, she could still hear him though. "The heat from the sun, our star millions of miles away, heats up the clouds in the sky after it gets absorbed back into the sky... and when the clouds shrivel up, rain falls out...it's an endless cycle of beauty."

Spinel sounded mesmerized by his explanation. Sure, it was a simple thing humans got to experience throughout their whole lives. But for _her,_ being stuck in that garden for an eternity with no such thing as weather or atmosphere or clouds, it truly was something to marvel at.

Her gem seemed to agree with his statement of its' endless beauty, as she began to glow once more, and unbeknownst to Steven, he began to glow too.

They were happy just sitting here enjoying watching the shoreline grow darker, thick and clumped together from the moisture.

They got to watch as the lights of buildings and stores along the shoreline reflected off of the wet wooden walkways and grey concrete.

Even the cracks in the earth leaking a pinkish-purple glow seemed to just soften up with the rain and blend right in: a neon glow spiderwebbing around the city. Now that the destruction process was coming to a halt and total reversal, even _he _found the sight of this scene absolutely perfect.

He got up all of a sudden, and Spinel quickly caught her own head from falling before standing up with him, parroting his movements almost. He pulled out his new cell phone, which had a massive touch screen, and pulled out the camera app.

"What's that?" She asked, pointing at his obscene looking device.

"It's a phone, it can do a lot of things but I'm using it to do something." Steven shot her a bright smile and turned his back against the window and walked forward some, facing his camera toward the two. "Get in this with me. I'm taking a picture of us with the scene behind us. It'll last forever."

Spinel blushed. A picture? Forever? Whatever it was, she wanted it if he was giving it.

She walked up to him and grabbed his hanging arm, wrapping both of her arms around his many many times, nuzzling her cheek into his neck, staring at the screen.

"Smile, show me your happy face." He asked her, and surprisingly easily for her, she allowed her glowing gem to fuel an intense smile, big and bright enough to rival the one Steven gave as he snapped the photo. He turned around, and she followed.

They stared at the picture in awe.

He stared at her.

She stared at him.

"Just goes to show, there's beauty in darkness too, huh?" Spinel was the one to say that, surprising Steven a bit.

The thought floated around in his mind and he played with it for a while, before turning his head to look at her with stars in his eyes.

She felt this and reciprocated, looking at him with stars in her eyes upon seeing his.

"Yeah... there really is."

_'In you.'_

Steven blushed as he thought this, just now fully realizing what he's starting to feel.

And beginning to question it. He felt as if he was going on autopilot for a while, since Spinel seemed to be a high-maintenance gem, needing constant companionship and constant effort.

He didn't even realize how tired out he was until now, let alone his developing feelings of, _whatever this is_, for Spinel.

Unbeknownst to the two, Steven's door had been cracked open;

**They'd been spied upon.**

_Before the A/N begins, one question. _

_More dialogue or less dialogue? Would you prefer the characters talking less or talking more? It's okay to be indifferent on it. If you simply don't care, don't answer, no worries! I'll keep doing as I do and change as I see fit. :)_

_**Confirmed pairings are;**_

_Lapis x Peridot_

_Lars x Emerald_

_Biggest chapter yet! Woo! Pretty good for me. Hopefully the work didn't suffer from the long length? Let me know! _

_]_

_I said I'd update weekly and here I am again days later. How annoying, huh? I'M KIDDING, a lot of you seem to be excited to read more. _

_This will be the last chapter for a while that'll filled to the brim with fluff. There will still be more, but the last few chapters were 100% marshmallow. So I'm knockin it down **just** a lil, introduce variables to the story and possibly an obstacle or two._

_Thank you for your continued support. Only 3 chapters in but I'm happy this has been so well-recieved as of the 2nd chapter. _

_I may even raise the rating up to M if things play out certain ways. But I **don't** believe I'll allow characters to swear; _

_I'd like them to stay in-character as much as could be while having a possibly out-of-character non-canonical ship._

_Swearing is fine with me. Just wanna take a different route with this story._

_I absolutely love the movie and I think the entirety of the Steven Universe team really did well and earned a lot more respect and I bet it even turned a lot of old-time haters into new-time lovers._

_I guess I'll send you off by responding to reviewers and also saying this:_

_From now on, I'll be updating the story in every few days, 1 week, or maximum of 2 weeks, because I can't seem to stay away from writing this stuff. But I'll never go a month without updating, and if I do, check the latest chapter's notes, I will have updated them; I don't want to create a chapter just to give people information._

**_In loving response to;_**

**Blauerblitz**; _Thank you a ton for your words! And yeah, I'm confirming it now that there will be Lars x Emerald. SORRY LARS X SADIE FANS!! I like Lars and his cocky aggressive attitude and if you'd pair that with the stubborn and tsundere Emerald, they just seem to mesh well together. Fire and ice, but who's who? Thanks again!_

**Remzal Von Enili**_;__ Oh, now that's a big brain thought right there. Very very cool mind you have there! Spinel would definitely be afraid, with finding out that there's a level of closeness and connection beyond physical and mental, she'd definitely have issues with such a thing existing. __Thanks for your time and review!_

**antonia2006.elena**_;__ Awww, thank the heavens out of you you sweet sweet soul!! And that's another big brain thought, very observational and thoughtful, but unfortunately no it wasn't a hint of sorts, just an inflection on the word for emphasis of his ability to make friends and how strong that power alone makes him. I'll definitely play around with what you said though, if he becomes corrupt there'd be no normal way to bring him back since you need his power along with the 3 diamonds and rose's spring all together, but maybe there'd be some other way. **SUPER** COOL story idea. Thanks for your time and review! _

**Cor Aurum**_;__ Hey again! Thanks for sticking around :') Me too! I hope I write it well, there will be obstacles and issues and challenges to be overcome so hopefully I can write some development through that. _

**Bicus**_;__ Thanks a lot! I'm super happy you've enjoyed the story so far. Hopefully you along with many others will feel good after reading more and more of it! I really try to make people feel something from my stories because those are the best kind; the kind you feel. Have a good one!_


	4. Teardrops

**Temporary update as of November 16, 2019**

**_I really didn't want this to happen, but I knew something would keep me from doing this story._**

**_I have some family emergency stuff that's rather private/sensitive to discuss so I will keep the detail a bare minimum, please do enjoy the chapter regardless of this. _**

**_I am postponing the next chapter until next week, a family member of mine is in poor health. As I said, bare minimum details— this is already too much eyesore clutter for my liking._**

_**Sorry for this, I really am. I'll make it up in the future with an extra long chapter down the road, or a double chapter release.**_

_**I'll find something to do, and I'll do it.**_

**_Love you all. Thanks for reading, take care._**

Watching Steven run off with some other... _gem,_ that quite clearly represents a female, stirred something ugly deep within Connie's stomach.

Taking a deep breath, she walked away from the disappearing two, and decided to take a few minutes to herself before helping with the injector.

Walking toward the beach's shoreline, she gave a glance in the direction of the injector and the crystal gems, giving a small smile as she gazed upon Bismuth and Lapis doing a fantastic job ripping it to shreds bottom from top.

Peridot could be heard screaming and yelling about keeping the liquid inside in-tact, while on the other hand Pearl held hands up to her own face in sheer utter _terror_ as limbs of the injector fly aimlessly as they please toward the ground over and over again. It could cause _harm. Damage!_

"Hey Lapis? Bismuth?! Thanks for all your help, but me and Garnet can take the rest from here!" She called out to them from Greg's van, where the lot of Peridot, Pumpkin, Lion, Garnet, Amethyst and Greg stood.

The two gems stopped tearing the injector apart and regrouped.

Bismuth gave Pearl a smile. "Got a plan?"

Pearl turned her head toward Garnet after nodding in reply to Bismuth, and gave her a certain _look. "_Garnet..." she began, a bit worriedly. "...if we fused into Sardonyx, we could take care of this with ease and grace."

Garnet gazed at Pearl as she stood next to the others, and then looked at Amethyst, who seemed to be watching the clouds.

"Amethyst, are you alright with this?" Garnet figured that by now they'd all be over that issue from the past and would've grown far beyond such childish negativity.

A moment of silence and tension filled the air, the only ones who really felt and understood it were the three in question, though it remained a plague in the atmosphere around them, Pearl's anxiety growing larger by the second.

A lot has happened since then. _A lot. _But the more things change, the more they stay the same. No matter how different something or someone gets, a part of their core being will always remain and that's what will always be built off of from the second you're brought into existence.

Amethyst replied "Yeah, it's chill, dude." She gave a reassuring smile and glanced at Greg.

Garnet was correct in assuming Amethyst being much more mature, along with Pearl, though she could still use some work.

She had future vision, but lately, it was too hard to figure out which one would be likely; all this stuff going on with Spinel has been clouding the mind of Garnet along with just about everyone else.

"If Greg could bear me shapeshifting into Rose, why can't I do a little growing up?"

Peridot looked a little confused, with her raised eyebrow being the obvious giveaway. Lapis looked indifferent, not really caring much about anything happening right now. Bismuth shrugged, having no clue what was going on.

Greg smiled and blushed sheepishly, waving off the whole ordeal; he'd rather avoid all talk on the subject matter as much as possible.

Pearl and Garnet together smiled proudly at Amethyst, and they shared a moment to take a group hug, all three of them. Lion, Pumpkin, Peridot and Greg just watched them awkwardly, all for their own unique reasons.

Stretching, Pearl sighed heavily and got into her stance, preparing to fuse, and Garnet did the same with a swift elegance that most would miss if they blinked. She always seemed to have an endless supply of energy.

And so Greg and Amethyst helped Peridot pick up the falling debris from the injector and loaded up the pieces into his van which quickly became too full.

Lapis carried many of the shards that were too much work for too little and carried those herself, though for her it was extremely easy.

Amethyst shapeshifted into a garbage truck to accommodate the lack of space in his van, and after being thanked, she closed her eyes and took a lazy nap while Greg and Peridot continued working with Lapis.

Bismuth decided she'd pick up the heaviest pieces, mostly to test her own strength and limits.

The newly fused Sardonyx used her giant mega-hammer in the most masterful of ways; slashing at speeds so quick she could actually cut things with the giant fist hammer.

...

Connie blinked, turning her head away from the scene, her mind wandering alongside the tapping of her feet in the sand. Reaching her destination, she looked at the sun; it was _just barely_ beginning to set.

Siezing what seemed like a golden opportunity she wouldn't have for a while, she sat down with crossed legs and began taking her meditation pose she picked up with Garnet while she was Stevonnie.

'_Steven...' _Connie thought, her mind once again becoming unclear. Shaking her head quite violently, she brushed that thought off into the dust, and began envisioning herself in the world she's most comfortable meditating in:

A simple, minimalist landscape, with the most luscious, shimmering pickle green painted over all the grassy hills.

Vivid, oceanic teal smeared itself across the sky with white little blotches placed haphazardly around; clouds wiped away by the wind.

A scarce amount of massive, lush green oak trees bearing low-hanging, velvety-red apples scattered across the plains.

She sat atop what seemed to be the biggest hill there, though it was more of a plains biome than anything, the hills didn't have valleys, they were barely higher than a few feet and stretched on for a minute or so in walking distance.

It was comfortable for her here. No monsters, no school, no parents, no homework, no friends, no worries, no Steven-

_'Steven...' _Once more, he plagued her thoughts. She tried to shake her head to rid herself of them, only this time... the butterflies came. Connie opened her eyes and saw a massive white butterfly floating around her, and she gulped.

It was time for her to face a thought she would much rather avoid.

As much as she wanted the time to meditate and relieve stress, her subconscious would clearly _much rather _get rid of the **source **of her current internal conflict, rather than temporarily solving them.

It really was funny to her... there she was, comforting Steven and supporting him through his bad memories and issues, only to find herself knee-deep in desire for the same thing she had given him.

She stared into the butterfly as it enlarged itself, fading into a deep, lightless onyx, before an image faded into view—a flickering light, before finally the image stilled and focused.

Connie's pupil's shrunk, fueled by the stomach-churning emotion bubbling within her. Jealousy. Angst.

Her jealous, skeptical orbs obsessed over the replay of Steven running toward Spinel, picking her up off of the ground and spinning in circles; their happy laughter like chain links tightening around her heart, increasing in grip as the seconds pass.

She observed as the butterfly returned to white, and dissipated into a hundred smaller ones, only to have a repeat occur. A butterfly from the newly birthed swarm magnified and enlarged itself, and Connie stood on her feet.

No longer was she thinking of meditation. No longer was she thinking of the bright side in things. All that was on her mind right now, was all of her butterflies.

The massive butterfly flickered to life a new still image that looped forever on repeat, and it was Steven and Spinel running off to his home. She clenched her hands, balled up into fists, and the bubbling emotion in her stomach reached her chest.

Jealousy turned anger.

Skepticism turned hurt.

She convinced herself of one thing; Steven was being quite the jerk.

Not only had he made her LEAVE Space Camp which is something she had to struggle with being allowed to go to, but when she finally gets to go, she gets called back to Earth only to be told there's nothing going on.

THAT, and Steven didn't even seem to care. He didn't even bring it up to her, talk about it, _apologize,_ even.

Suddenly, her eyes grew sad, after expanding to their maximum size in revelation.

'_Gosh...' _she thought to herself. '..._does he even _think _about me anymore?' _

Maybe she was jumping to conclusions, but one thing was for sure. All of his attention and time was being given to this gem who just caused mass destruction across the entirety of beach city.

All of his energy and love was being given to that one, _freaking _gem.

And for some reason, Connie's blood boiled, marinating in an emotion she didn't tango with all that often; rage. It was a jealous and hurt rage, it's not like she'd really hurt Steven.

But _she _is really hurt.

And _he _doesn't even seem to care.

Finally, she would vanish from the land she had imagined and absorbed herself into, and slowly propped herself up off of the beach. She looked over to where the crystal gems were earlier, only to find nobody there.

Unbeknownst to her, Lapis did an incredible job by suggesting to use her water powers to flood the cracks and halt the internal, structural rot caused by the toxic chemicals within the earth's crust.

It wouldn't completely fix everything, nor would it be a permanent solution, but Lapis recieved much praise from the other gems for her wonderful idea. They'd also suggested that she talk more, since she seemed to be intelligent when it matters most.

It for sure saved the crystal gems a _ton _of time, she noted, because the sun still hadn't set. Though, it did begin to rain.

Keeping this negative, dirty emotion called rage right in her chest, letting it fester and play, she marched straight toward Steven's house, becoming soaked and drenched from the rain as she made her way toward her destination. She would confront him about this.

She would take _no more_ moments to find herself, nor would she ask herself about a _single thing_ anymore.

Connie felt certain of a lot right now, and although it was merely assumption, the signs to her were all too obvious. She was sharp enough to at least see that much.

Stepping up the wooden staircase of his home, she noticed all the lights were off, though she assumed that was because it had just begun to get darker and it just began raining moments ago.

She shook her head, focusing on why she's here. Walking up the staircase, she began to hear a voice. Her eyes widened slightly, and her heart began to race.

'_It must be... those two!_' She thought, as her footsteps became nothing more than quiet taps on the wooden floorboards. Walking past the warp pad room, she followed the hallway and the voices grew louder, and at long last she stopped the door directly next to the warp pad room's.

She was fully aware of what she was doing in this moment. She _knew _eavesdropping and spying were terribly wrong to do. But she felt as if she had no other choice; Steven seemed to be avoiding Connie, especially with the way he talked to her earlier.

It definitely did _not _sit well with the human girl. Whenever she thought about it, it all circled around back to that one, _annoying _gem. The one who ruined everything, but was forgiven by Steven because that's, well, Steven.

And it enraged her. _Infuriated _her. Why forgive so quickly time and time again? Sure, he's been successful every time, but only through harsh combat and life-risking situations.

It was just so _stupid _to her. Well, sometimes, like how he would almost die time and time again for the sake of those who want that very same disgusting tragic fate for him.

She gulped, swallowing the words in the back of her throat she would've said to talk herself out of this, and applied a massive amount of pressure on the doorknob, carefully twisting it and using the applied pressure to minimize creaking.

She had gotten good at stealthily opening doors because she used to sneak out of her overprotective parents' house all the time, especially to see Steven.

And there, her curious orbs finally arrived at the truth she knew she'd find.

There they stood, Steven and Spinel. She could only get the quickest glimpse before he suddenly shot up and turned towards his door. Jumping back in a state of mild panic, Connie took a few steps away from the door.

She heard Spinel's muffled voice, so she inches closer yet again. She could feel the sweat beads rolling down her face and neck. Her heart was pounding. This was _wrong._

Right now, however, whatever was right is the very last thing on her mind.

"Smile, show me your happy face." Connie heard his voice say, making her eyebrow twitch in anger.

'_What for?' _Connie thought, jealousy streaming into her very veins as she once more peaked through the door.

She almost jolted away again, but realized that Steven and Spinel were taking a selfie together, their backs facing the beautiful scenery outside of his window, and their fronts facing the door she'd been peeking through. The phone covered their faces, luckily enough for Connie.

Though, she couldn't stop sweating, and shortly after her hands began to shake and shiver, spasming in anxiety.

'_This is so wrong... why am I doing this?' _She bit her lip in anger. '_I can just ask him about it, but...' _as she remembered the last time she tried that, Connie decided that it wouldn't work.

Instantly, Steven and Spinel turned around to face the window again, giving Connie the confidence she needed to continue on with her dirty deed. She peeked her eyes into the crack of the doorway once more, and spied on the two staring down at his phone.

She saw Steven and Spinel look up from the phone and into each other's eyes. Her blood pressure was _this _close to making her veins explode. They felt **way** too close for her liking.

"Just goes to show, there's beauty in darkness too, huh?" Connie heard Spinel say to him, and with the state her mind is currently in, she only had negative thoughts about this entire scenario.

She stared and stared at them, and tears began streaming down her face as she noticed the look they had just begun to give each other.

"Yeah... there really is." That was all Connie could handle anymore. The tone in his voice, the look on their faces. Those were the same looks they had once shared with each other. And now... seemingly out of nowhere, he's giving them to someone else?

Her tears mimicked the pitter-patter the rain eminated from the window as they hit the hard, wood floor.

She began sobbing silently. Steven and Spinel—They hadn't kissed, hadn't been intimate in any way shape or form that she'd seen, and yet... the sheer _energy _they radiated from each other; nothing but lovey-dovey, compassionate and caring.

That's what Steven was known for, yes. But this looked and felt so much weirder and different for her.

More weird and different than much she'd seen before—and she'd been to space, even a different planet inhabited solely by (past) tyrannical gem leaders.

Sure, they weren't together, nor were they dating.

But Connie definitely felt a lot of romantic emotions towards him, especially over the last few years. He's grown more mature, mentally and physically, and she found quite the pleasure in this.

Though, if he would allow someone else to enjoy these amazing parts of him... she felt as if she was being cheated on.

Yes, she's aware that she and Steven aren't involved romantically, but she couldn't help but feel the cold, icy sting of betrayal poking and prodding deep into her heart, desperately attempting to destroy her from within.

And she had been immensely emotionally weakened by the scene she laid eyes upon, something she felt she wasn't supposed to see.

So, betrayal surrounded her heart, engulfing it in a blazing, ugly-colored flame. The flame of jealousy. Of betrayal.

Connie was the one who had captivated him. Connie was his _best freaking friend_. Connie was the one Steven would always rely on and talk to. One of his _closest _human friends. _So, _**_so close... _**so just why did she feel so jealous?

It's not like some other gem would come by randomly one day and steal all of his attention from her and everyone else.

Except that's exactly what is happening in her eyes.

She felt it, and it made her voice quiver oh so silently.

So she ran. She ran and ran and ran, down his staircase, down the steps, past the shore, running into the city. She needed someone to talk to. Anyone at all.

Suddenly, she remembered. Sadie was a decent friend of Steven's, maybe she could go there and seek comfort and advice.

A normal human being should have no problem helping out another normal human being with regular issues; she'd much prefer this over going to one of the gems for this—not like they know much about Steven and Spinel's relationship... whatever it is.

...

**Back at the Universe residence…**

Blinking his eyes, Steven shook his head rapidly and turned to face away from Spinel.

"Hahaha, yeah... u-um..." he brushed the back of his neck with his right hand, a profuse blush plastered over his facial features.

"S-Sorry..." Spinel muttered. She only now realized their closeness had been affecting him. In a way she didn't understand? Sure. But it was affecting him, and if he didn't like it, she would _never _do it again, _ever._

"N-No, it's okay! Really... nothing to be sorry for." Steven swallowed his embarrassment to the pits of his stomach, turning to face her again.

"I'm just... really happy we took that photo together. Don't we look so nice? The background in the photo is amazing, all those gorgeous colors, the greens and yellows and blues of the building lights in the rain puddles, the glowing purple chemicals from the injector... it's my favorite picture."

Steven rambled on and on, and the more he spoke, the more Spinel blushed.

'_His favorite 'picture'... is one with me in it?_' Spinel thought to herself, and decided she had the courage to speak on it.

"Hey... is it your favorite, because, um..." she tugged at his shirt, trailing off, suddenly losing all confidence in what she was about to say.

She wondered for a moment why this was so difficult for her.

"Because you're in it?" He finished, giving her another reason to believe he reads minds.

"N-No! Well, yes, but, I mean... no!" Spinel covered her mouth, an embarrassed punch landing on her own head, causing it to bounce a little.

Steven's eyes softened as he began succumbing to his utter overexhaustion, his muscles gradually locking up, and still he shot her a small smile all while running on this empty tank.

"Yeah... we look good together, don't you think?" He replied tiredly and groggily, clearly not giving enough though toward his response as Spinel took it in an entire different way.

'_Together?..._' her blush reappeared in the darkest hue she could muster.

"...Yeah. I think we do look good together." Spinel allowed the words to leave her mouth with a bit of hesitation. They stared at each other for a few seconds before embarrassment kicked in yet again.

"H-Hey, don't look at me for so long. It makes me feel... awkward." Spinel rubbed her left arm with her right hand, shifting her head to the side a bit.

"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry... I was... dozing off..." Steven replied, his eyes growing heavier by the second. Unsurprisingly, this had worried Spinel.

"Dozing off? Hey, are you okay?" She asked him, walking toward him, a comforting aura surrounding her. It felt so warm, so safe. Something Steven hadn't felt from her yet up until this very moment.

It allowed him to become even more sleepy, and as he gradually lost consciousness, he gradually lost the ability to think clearly.

It was _very _odd that he felt safe with her like this. Though it was a thought he paid no mind to—not like he could do much of _anything _with his sleepy state.

Massive amounts of energy had been depleted from Steven's system after one of the most chaotic, enigmatic days he'd ever encountered. He'd never felt so drained and tired in his life. The last thing he could clearly remember and focus on was the look on her face when she parroted his words, 'we look good together.'

"Spinel... I'm tired. I can barely explain right now." Steven's eyes had trouble staying open.

"Please trust me... I'm gonna be okay. Humans... need... sleep..." and Steven walked toward his bed, and passed out as if he were a lightbulb who's switch flipped to off.

Anxiety and fear coursed through the body of the gem who watched Steven fall onto his bed like a lifeless body. Horror built inside her chest as she clung to his words.

'_Please trust me... I'm gonna be okay. Humans... need... sleep...'_

She stood a few feet away from his bed and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"He's not going anywhere... he's right there. It's okay... I'm okay. I'm not alone. He's here. He didn't leave me alone." Spinel spoke to herself with closed eyes and clenched fists, desperately pushing herself past the doubt and fears that plague her heart.

Opening her eyes, she stared at him. His chest would slowly rise and fall with each breath. She looked at the clock next to his bed on his dresser which read "8:23PM". No idea what that would mean.

"See? He's right there, silly..." she said to herself quietly in an attempt of self-reassurance, continuing to keep her eyes glued to him as she found herself warped into a moment of deep thought.

'_He looks so... peaceful. Aw gee, if only I could feel what he feels right now.' _

She took a seat on his bed, and turned over to look at him. Slow breathing. Still body. A gentle aura surrounded him even as he slept.

Spinel had never once slept. She didn't understand the concept, as did most gems.

But watching him do it... she wanted to try it. She wanted to feel what he's feeling. He looked happy while asleep. He looked... like serenity taken form.

Climbing into a sleeping position, she laid herself on her left shoulder, staring at him as he lay asleep on his back.

'_I just... close my eyes, and relax?' _Though it was a mere assumption, her assumption was spot on as she found herself slowly drifting away in a relaxed state with closed eyes and a calm mind. She shuffled a bit, struggling to get comfortable, and tried to sleep on her right side, facing opposite of Steven.

And suddenly, due to her shuffling and consistent movement, something soft and warm wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her close in its' direction.

She gently turned her head, only very slightly, to see that a sleeping Steven had wrapped his single arm around her and buried his face in her neck.

Yet another deep shade of pinkish-purple took form across her features, indicating embarrassment, but more than that, her pleasure in the gently constricting, safe and secure grasp of the one she currently trusts most.

Spinel couldn't help but drown in this endless abyss of such a glorious feeling. She basked in it.

His warm, motherly aura allowed her to feel so safe and secure that she let all forms of guard down, her insecurity and negative thoughts faded, she simply melted into his unconscious arm.

Subconsciously, she wished that he'd hug harder.

She remembered that Steven had his eyes closed as he slept, and looked entirely limp in relaxation. So she attempted to follow suit. It was hard for her to have a clear mind, so all she thought of was recieving a massive, warm hug from Steven.

Like the one she'd found herself trapped in during this very moment.

It was... soothing. Like rubbing numbing ointment over an open wound. Like sitting neck-deep in a hot steamy sauna.

The sheer amount of passion in his arms is entirely unrivaled. She'd enjoy this as much as fate would allow her. Though technically she is being hugged right now, she continued to think of holding each other tightly, and never letting go.

She found herself to be too tired to realize that she had placed an idle hand atop of the hand that lay gripping her by the lower stomach.

For the first time in her existence, Spinel began drifting off into a deep sleep, finally sinking into the bed in the most ultimate form of relaxation.

She sported a tiny smile as she drifted off into the single most peaceful first nights' sleep she'd ever have.

"This is all, well, kinda weird... but," Spinel spoke so very quietly, grogginess evident in her voice, though nobody was around or awake to hear.

"...I think you're the only one I trust with me."

_**AND THAT'S A WRAP! **__**Ah... I finally took a week break. Feels good.**_

**_Also, please let me know if any spelling errors slipped past my eagle eyes! I hate those more than anything._**

**_You're always free to skip author's notes, but review replies are at the bottom. _**

**_If you're skipping the note, thank you so much for reading!_**

**_=)_**

_I'm sorry if you're disappointed that you had to wait for a chapter full of Connie BUT AT LEAST THERE'S STILL STEVINEL IN IT!_

_I wanted to add Connie's perspective of events separately to allow readers to become more emotionally invested—even **I **felt her sadness as she watched Steven and Spinel._

_**And this is in NO WAY a Connie-bashing story. No bashing here. I guess?...**_

_**Technically, the only bashing I've done so far was small lil pokes at Pink's ridiculous and notoriously awful choices, through character dialogue.**_

_Speaking of Connie, __I feel like I wrote a bit too much of her in this chapter, so I understand if you're a bit displeased on that end._

_But I'd rather release the chapter on schedule like I said I would, instead of making a 10k word chapter and taking an extra few days or even a week; I like to stick to 4k-7k words, it's not too long or too short, and it's quite easy to write a fulfilling chapter with that amount of words in my humble opinion._

_It's hard for me to make myself feel anything from my own work, but phew, what sadness. What **angst **I felt as I reread this chapter over and over. Definitely giving myself a pat on the back for how my delivery is on this one._

_To make things truly feel like Steven Universe, so people can allow themselves to become invested in the work, I try to include other characters and show their reaction to things, show their character traits that make them who they are. _

_It's always a choice to continue on in reading a story—thank you so so much from the bottom of my heart for making that choice on my story time and time again. _

_I wanna take a moment to say **HOLY FK **at the amount of follows, favorites and reviews you've all generously donated to me. __You guys reviewed my story **27** times total so far from **3** chapters!!!! And the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive!_

_MY GOD I COULD CRY CAUSE OF YOU PEOPLE! _

_*ahem*... anyway..._

**So, for that, I thank the reviewers before I answer to their reviews— you've all been so supportive and thoughtful with your comments, even giving me ideas to play with, and critiquing my work; it's warming inside, to me. **

**I thank you sincerely. I always work my hardest every chapter, and it's always a sigh of relief when a chapter is recieved as well as these last few have been. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Half of my work comes from the courage you've all given me to push the story forward! Cheesy and corny.. but it's the truth. :D**

_**In loving response to;**_

**et-****reader97 ****on ch.1;** _Wow, thanks!! Yeah, don't worry I have many more Stevinel ideas in store for you all to (*whispers* hopefully) enjoy! Hmm... I want to do Lars x Emerald, but I'm gonna add a Sadie x Lars moment just for you, because you're a sweet person. Thank you for your time and review!_

**et-reader97 on ch.2; **_I'm absolutely thrilled you enjoyed the stretching pinky scene as much as me! I agree with you; writing her out to keep using her stretching ability makes it seem like an extension of her character, rather than a power she has. I'd like to utilize it to display many different emotions, so look forward to that as well. :)_

**et-reader97 on ch.3; **_Oh man, I almost forgot about that! Thanks for the reminder, it's definitely gonna be in the forefront of my mind when writing this. Steven is definitely maturing, especially since he's hit puberty (presumably). Thanks for all your time and reviews!!!_

**Mimopoco on ch.2**;_ Oh wow, you're so sweet. Thank you so much! I have a lot of good ideas for future chapters, hopefully you amongst many others will agree and enjoy once they're written out and published! Thanks for your awesome self and time. :)_

**Mimopoco on ch.3**_;__ HI AGAIN! And HAHA secondhand embarrassment?! That's hilarious, seriously. XD I love this review, you're super nice. Hopefully you like the twist that it was Connie who spied! Thanks for your time and review Mimo!_

**URnorth Ghost**_;__ Thank you a _literal_ ton. Seriously. I try to give every single line written meaning and substance, and try my best to keep the plot stable and focused. I do actually have a plot in mind, you're very sharp to notice all of the intricacies I attempt... there can be, well, too many sometimes... I can take things too far, what can I say? Hah. Thank you for your beautiful words, your time and review!_

**HerpyDerperson**_;__ Awwww you're the nicest person ever! Thank you so much. I try my best. I'm glad you love it so much!! Wow!!! I hope I don't disappoint ya! - thanks a lot for you review and time you lovely star. _

**Guest "Almond"**;_ Jeez, thank you a ton for your kind words! It makes my heart melt to think people could see some of this stuff happening canonically. Reading these reviews always gives me Steven stars in my eyes. I'm happy reading this makes you happy!! Thanks for your review and time! _

**Deathclaw2010_; _**_Well... your injector question was answered this chapter... XD I'm really excited to have captured the eye of someone who doesn't even like third-person storytelling. That's an accomplishment and a half for me. Thank you so much for giving me a chance, and your time and review! I'll try my best not to fail you! _

**Masquerade man1234**_;__ Aw shucks, I'm pleased you're enjoying my work! Do stay tuned! Thanks a lot for your review and your time. :) and yeah, I never really cared for Sadie x Lars. Just two regular characters with regular human problems. We need them deep characters with complex issues ya know? XD_

**TheAugustomax43**_;__ You got it boss! Sorry about this chapter though, first half of this chapter was kind of not dialogue. Story building I tell you! STORY BUILDING! Atmosphere! You'll see! All of you! Haha, thanks for your time and review. :)_

**I replied to a staggering 11 reviews! So, to keep things cleaner, next chapter I shall reply to the ones that stand out, critiques, compliments, assumptions and ideas alike. Thank you all so very much for your valuable time, and see you next week!**

**Ciao. **


	5. Echoes

**Hey! **

**So... it's time to finish what I started. **

**I let this story die. I'm very sad about it. But allow me to make an excuse. **

**BUT, before that, a reminder before I continue— I have watched all of Steven Universe: Future; there will be spoilers from it, so please go finish it before reading this chapter.**

**So, to catch you up a bit with my absence, as stated in the previous chapter nearly half a year ago, my grandfather caught an illness and was hospitalized for the past few months, but luckily he was able to recover before the pandemic occurred. **

**Speaking of which, please keep staying safe and keep making smart choices for you and your family's health!**

**Anyway, here's a fat chapter announcing my return. The last time I worked on this chapter was January of 2020, and it is now April and I am finishing it up. **

**Very sad. **

**I'm so happy his mental issues were addressed and his personality was further cemented as someone who's always needed help mentally but never had any chance because he was so focused on everyone except himself in SU:F. They did an amazing job with the timeframe per-episode they had to work with. **

**To be real with you, this is the chapter that was going to be the beginning signs of Steven's corruption. But now that SU:F is finished, I can take all canonical events into mind as I continue, furthering the quality of this chapter as well as future ones. **

**Gentle reminder that this is an AU so not every little detail will be exactly the same, word-for-word or action-for-action. **

**Stay tuned! I want _so badly_ to return to this story, but more than that, I want to finish it more than anything. The only reason I gave up on everything again is because I thought I was going to lose a family member and it was really wrecking me hardcore. **

**I hope you'll all forgive my weakness.**

**I can't really make dividers for my chapters still; I write my stories on the mobile app, and I'm unable to find anything that creates a sectional divider. I'm so sorry. ****Hopefully the lack of dividers doesn't bother anybody until I get a new computer and can actually place some. I PROMISE I'LL DO IT!!!**

**Thanks for putting up with me.**

**I love all of you. Thanks for sticking around. Even if a single returning fan of this story reads this chapter and enjoyed it, I'll be _more _than thrilled.**

**Please enjoy the long awaited Chapter 5: Echoes. **

**Within Spinel's Dreamscape**

...

"Please, don't go!" Her voice echoed through the abyss. Her hand had reached out to something that only distanced itself from her, fading into the darkness that surrounds her. "I _need _you!!" She cried, desperately trying to change the outcome of this story.

But, as always, it would end the same. Every time she thought it through, went over what she could've done different, there's nothing.

Not a _single _thing could've changed what had happened.

It was none other than Pink Diamond, her back facing an uncertain gem.

"You're just... _boring_, Spinel." Pink said harshly, without turning around to face her; a display of disrespect Spinel had been all too familiar with. Spinel's hair fell a bit, and her eyes became droopy, too.

She felt depression. Her? _Boring?_ Hardly! She was made to be an entertainer, a best companion, a playmate.

So... why did she believe Pink's words?

She'd always been standing behind others. Never next to them, and she'd never dare think to be ahead of anyone. Her purpose was to be a toy, a playmate, a _thing. _

And that's exactly what she spent her existence fulfilling.

So... why? _Why?_

Why was this happening again? The faster she ran, the further away Pink became.

_Why _would she still love someone who detested her so, SO much?

"PINK!!" She screamed into the abyss, and suddenly, she lost her footing, falling into what felt like a tight, endless hole. She closed her eyes, tears flying off her face as she flew down at blurry speeds.

'...Why ain't I good enough?' Thought the gem, as she seemed to accept her fate of death. She would die alone, miserable, beaten and broken down by the one person she held closest. Just like she had all those millennia ago.

Out of the blue, Spinel opened her eyes in a fierce shock.

'Wait... this already happened. What's going on here?!'

Panic settled in. Spinel had regained self-awareness within her first ever dream, and begun to lose her mind.

"No no no no no no no no no no no no-" She grabbed her hair tightly, almost ripping it off as she non-stop let out a fury of 'no's, seeming to deny the fate she had just accepted a moment ago.

"I'm not boring!! I'm Spinel!! I'm the coolest, raddest gem around!!" In a sort of manic, bipolar state, she tried to calm herself down.

But what would be the worth of words coming from a gem like her?

She began to lose her absolute mind. She had her purpose telling her what she should be, she had Pink telling her that she's boring and not entertaining any longer, and then she had Steven's warmth, his comfort, his-

"Steven!" Spinel cried out, landing on the bottom of the abyss as soon as she spoke. Finally she had remembered him. He would definitely come and save her... right?

**At the Universe Residence, Steven's Room**

...

"Hey, it's going to be alright." Came a deep, soothing female voice, nothing but warmth oozing from her words. She rubbed the back of a certain human in comfort.

"Are you sure?... she won't wake up." A male voice spoke back to the female voice.

"Yes. There are many possibilities here, but this should turn out alright. If it doesn't, well... we're the crystal gems. We _will_ find a way." The gem stated, her tone sounding as if it were a matter of fact, providing the reassurance the male sought after.

With a sigh, he walked toward his bed, sitting next to it gently.

"It's all my fault..." he placed a hand on a sleeping gem's cheek, and caressed it with his thumb. The female gem noticed this and smiled, keeping it to herself.

"No. You know it's not true." She walked next to him, finding him turning his head to look up at her.

"It's not like we would've known this would happen, if it didn't happen. My future vision can only help so much." The voice continued, placing an arm on the male's shoulder, making him smile weakly.

"I know, I just... regret letting her fall asleep. Some things slip my mind, so I forgot gems don't need sleep. I don't remember telling her to sleep, though..." turning his head away from the comforting voice to watch the gem as she slept through a bad dream, he let out another sigh of distress.

As he stared at the pinkish gem, he began to mull over some of the things that have been happening lately.

He technically brainwashed Spinel into becoming his friend with a touching song, they seem to be connecting on a level that he has yet to achieve with anyone else, and now he found himself resting at her bedside through her hard times just to see it through that she'd make it out the other end safe and unharmed.

And it had only been one day.

He bit his lower lip in deep thought. 'Why.. do I care so much?' he found himself thinking.

Sure, he was one of the nicest, most loving human beings in existence. But he had yet to find any time to think about Spinel. About himself _and _Spinel.

"Because you're a lover, Steven." Garnet pushes his cheek, startling the absolute hell out of him.

"AH!! What? You read my mind?!" Steven asked in shock, completely and utterly torn away from his previous train of thought, much to the other gem's pleasure.

"Not really, just a future vision guess. I'm gonna go, I think the other gems need my help with cleanup. I love you, Steven. Take good care of her." The gem walked off without allowing Steven to reply.

He didn't really want to, anyway. A blush formed on his face as he smiled brightly and warmly.

"I love you too, Garnet."

She didn't need to hear him to know he said it back. She smiled at the thought as she finally met up with the other gems.

Steven got up and shut and locked his door, sliding his back down the door until he'd sit down on the floor.

Letting yet another sigh of stress escape his lips, he ruffled his own hair in confusion.

'I got careless. I was rude to Connie. I was really exhausted and tired...' all of these thoughts swam through his head like a vicious pack of sharks, roaming endlessly in a circle as he hung from above, held together only by a thin, pink strand.

He felt a nauseating warmth radiate from his stomach, and a burst of light surrounded him, and unbeknownst to him, this would be his first time his Pink Diamond powers would surface. His entire being glowing pink, he clutched his stomach and winced in discomfort. His stomach felt like a toilet bowl being flushed, swirling endlessly and sickeningly.

He began to do breathing techniques to calm himself down. Thanks to Garnet and her amazing intellect, she was able to teach him many things to harden himself emotionally while still maintaining his core values.

Breathing techniques, using his negative emotions in constructive ways by conveying them through drawing or training or literally anything that isn't bad... and he thanked her endlessly for her bountiful wisdom.

She had thought a lot about Steven's future, and what she decided was she wanted to give him the tools necessary to build his own future, rather than relying on her powers to strive for an already existing future, whatever the worth may be.

Getting up with a smile and a fire in his eyes, Steven's resolved hardened ever so further as he walked toward his bed and sat on his knees next to her bedside.

His pink skin faded as soon as it had come. Nobody knew it even happened, not even Steven himself.

Staring into Spinel's face, he noticed she seemed to be in a lot of pain.

'_You're a lover, Steven._' Garnet's quote floated through his mindscape, though at long last, he would seize that thought and put it to good use.

"It's okay, Spinel. I'm here... you don't have to be afraid anymore." Upon placing his right hand on the left side of her face, her features seemed to relax slightly, though she still seemed quite agitated and distressed.

Clenching his jaw, he let out a sigh. One challenge after the other, he'd take them all on head-first. That's what he had resolved himself to do. It's what got him this far.

"Okay, um... how about I... sing you a song?" He thought it over carefully, and saw no change in her facial features as he spoke. He expected this, and allowed his lone thumb to drift across her cheek ever so gently, not enough to tickle, not enough to startle.

The right amount to let someone know you're there for them.

**Within Spinel's Dreamscape**

**...**

At long last, Spinel had spotted the fluffy, rose-bud-shaped hair of Steven from behind. She reached and stretched her rubbery arms out to hug him, but he faded away as if he were dust, as if her arms had turned him to ash.

"_STEVEN!!" _The gem cried, falling to the floor. "Oh, what's the point... nobody's coming to save me."

She curled up in the fetal position, the darkness within her taking over more and more. As if everything Steven had just taught her didn't matter anymore. As if it couldn't help her.

She knew it could.

But it was so much easier to just give up and stop trying.

"Worthless." "Pitiful." "Sickening." "Rejuvenate that miserable gem."

The darkness inside her gem created nasty, vile voices that would taunt her from the abyss of her dreamscape. And she no longer felt the will to resist.

Just as she finally had given in and finally had given up all hope on being saved, on being _better_, a peach-colored arm reached out of the darkness and grabbed her right shoulder. Before she could turn her head, she was completely enveloped in a warm, soothing embrace that would wash away all the darkness she created for herself as if the warmth was the eraser to her pencil.

_"You're safe now. Your darkness is too afraid of mine.__" _It was as if an angel's voice pierced her metaphorical heart, and gave her strength. Gave her hope that wasn't false. Spinel knew the owner of that voice, she just hoped it wasn't her mind messing with her again.

She lifted her head off the ground to look up, to see a glowing pink Steven caressing her with his eyes closed, acting as a shield for her darkness. He would illuminate only the tiny spot they sat in, in her endless abyss.

Spinel gasped gently, shock and confusion covering her features.

"S...Steven?" She asked if it was him. Did he finally come to her rescue?

"_I am Steven's-... I am Steven. But I am also everything he hides." _He assures the freightened gem.

"I knew you'd save me..." she cried tears of desperation and relief into his chest as he continued to circle himself around her, acting like a dome. Her perfect shield.

She couldn't even think about his weird, cryptic words as she was too freightened, as much as she was relieved that he'd shown up for her.

"_I'll always save you, Spinel. I just hope that one day... somebody saves me, too."_

Spinel looked up to see him, noticing his off tone as he said more weird stuff, but he had vanished, and the darkness surrounding her began to fade into a blinding whiteness that forced her eyes closed.

**At the Universe Residence, Steven's Room. **

**...**

"...I'll always be there, I'll always care... no matter why, and no matter where..." Steven finished serenading the sleeping gem, and at long last her eyes began to slowly flutter open.

His gem stopped glowing instantly. Not that anybody knew it was.

Quickly, Spinel shot up out of the bed and began sobbing hysterically.

"Steven... Steven!" She threw herself into his chest and he stumbled back a bit, falling onto his back. Spinel wrapped her arms around him multiple times and sobbed. "I was so scared.. I was lost, and, and Pink, she-"

Steven sat up with the gem still holding him, and he hugged her back tightly.

"She's gone." He interrupted. "I'm here, I can help. I can fix everything for you. She can't hurt you anymore, and she can't hurt anybody else either."

"There were voices... th-they made me feel horrible, Steven... and then you came and rescued me, but you were all glowy and pink and I- an-and I-" Spinel replied, obviously more shaken than she'd ever been. Regaining a bit of composure, she shook off the negativity she felt, like water off of her metaphorical fur.

"Wh-What _was _that?" She asked, referring to her experience in general.

"You fell asleep, Spinel... you had a bad dream. I found you sleeping and your face looked like you were in pain, so I stayed here the entire time and helped you wake up." Steven replies rather calmly, not bothering to state the fact that he sang to her.

"I-I'm sorry..." Spinel sniffled, feeling a bit more relieved but still shaken to her gem.

"Don't apologize, it's not your fault. You just got really comfortable laying in my bed, you drifted off into sleep. You'll always be safe when I'm here."

She squeezed him extra tight, her hair drooping to indicate that she indeed felt safe enough to finally let her guard down.

And he would squeeze back just as hard, intent on fixing every single thing he could. Even if it was just another one of his mother's many sickening 'mistakes'.

He would save everyone. He would fix _everything _until there's nothing left.

'I'm Steven Universe, after all. I help everyone.' Steven blinked, shocked that the thought had crossed his mind without him even thinking it.

He felt oddly comfortable in the position that they were in, and felt himself dozing off because of the ridiculous amount of stress he had been through recently.

Spinel opened her eyes, catching movement on his television screen behind him, and watched a very strange scene play out as she sat in silence.

_"No... please... I-I need..." Steven reached out toward a pink version of himself, looking very weak and ill. Tears streamed down his face as he stared at himself. His other half. _

_"What is going on here? Who are you? Where is pink?!" An elegant but overbearing voice demanded, becoming angrier and more impatient as the seconds pass. _

_"She's gone." The pink being replied with a factual tone, shocking the owner of the voice. _

_"What did you say..?!" She replied, as shocked as she was agitated. _

_Suddenly, the air grew thicker, Connie and Steven felt their muscles tense. _

_"She's GONE!!!!!!" It screamed, creating a massive shockwave of energy that knocked down every single person in the room, including the massive White Diamond. _

_"Stop...! You're hurting them...! Please...!" Steven begged, gaining the attention of the pink being. He began walking toward Steven, and Connie struggled as she carried the real Steven toward his gem. _

Suddenly, in reality, Steven began to glow pink, and the television screen shifted to a different scene.

Spinel was far too enveloped in the absurd anomaly happening behind him to notice his change of color. After all, his head was just _barely _within her view. Just _barely _in her right eyes' peripheral vision.

_Massive black fingernails owned by even bigger white fingers reached toward a captive and immobile Steven, who stared at the massive diamond in fear of his life. His muscles began to visibly shiver, freightened like he'd never been before. He was like a captured animal who'd been bleeding out for a few minutes. He struggled and writhed against the massive hand, only to be held in place by his gem. _

Spinel's eyes filled with liquid as she continued watching this disturbing scene.

_The nails that held his gem began to pull on it, causing Steven a massive surge of pain. He would scream out loud as the Diamond spoke. _

_"Now, now, Starlight.. this little game of yours has gone on long enough." She pulled harder, making his scream that much more visceral and sickening to listen to. _

_"STOP!!!" Connie screamed powerlessly; she could do nothing but watch as she had witnessed something she'd never seen before; Steven losing his mind. Steven powerless. Steven afraid for his life. _

_A sickening, wet ripping of flesh was heard as the Diamond gem was finally ripped out of its' birthplace. _

In reality, Steven had fallen asleep from stress and lack of sleep, he began broadcasting his thoughts, memories and dreams sporadically and nonsensically across the television screen.

Spinel's facial expression was that of pure horror. As if she'd just witnessed the shattering of the only person who mattered to her right now. Tears freely streamed down her face, wondering what in the world she was watching.

The television screen shifted to static once more as, not a memory, but a scene that Steven's mind was creating, began to play out.

_Steven could be seen curled up with his arms wrapped around his knees, face buried in his knees, as he sobbed uncontrollably. He would be crying all alone in a small crevice of the temple's massive hill. _

_"I can't do it anymore..." he sobbed to himself. "I don't know what to do with myself." _

Spinel's gem felt like it was shattering. She couldn't understand what she was seeing, or why at all, but she knew something was currently wrong with the real Steven.

_"Nobody needs me anymore!" He sounded absolutely hysterical, stating points with no facts to back them up, delusionally believing every word he spoke to himself because nobody was there to set things straight for him. _

_Nobody was there to save him. _

_"I fixed everything, there's no problems left to solve, there's nobody left to help."_

The more he spoke, the more the spectator understood what was wrong with Steven.

_"Everyone's living their own lives, and I'm just... here." He sobbed to himself, as his skin began to glow pink, and he grew in size. His pupils bearing a diamond symbol, his hair becoming more fluffier, he began to look more and more like pink. _

_"Why?! Wasn't I enough?" His sadness and heartbreak quickly turned into rage. _

_"Where is everyone?!" He screamed into the moonlit night. _

_"Doesn't anybody need me? Doesn't anybody want my help anymore?!"_

Steven's insecurity in this fabricated scene was all too familiar to the gem spectating it, and at an all-time high.

Spinel was absolutely shocked at the scene that was playing out before her. Is this the extent of his true diamond powers? Is that really Steven? Did this ever happen, or will it?

What's going on?!

Why was Steven hurting so badly? Why wouldn't anyone help him? Where was somebody, ANYBODY during this moment in his life?

She couldn't understand, but despite her ignorance, she kept a close eye on that screen.

_Spikes began to grow directly above his forehead, poking out of his hair haphazardly. _

_His emotions were becoming so strong that they would physically manifest. _

_"What am I worth if I can't save a thing anymore?!" He clutched his fists as a tiny amount of blood dropped down from the force of his fingernails digging into his palms. "It's... it's all I know. This is the only thing I know how to do!!" He cried loudly, screaming to nobody. _

_More and more, Steven began to look like a real monster. Absolutely random body parts puffing out to abnormally large sizes seemingly at random, unable to contain his emotions much longer. _

_"This is ALL THAT I AM!!!!" A guttural roar erupted from him, creating a massive crater around him, reaching all the way out to the shoreline, the crater slowly filling with water. As he let out what he believed to be the truth for the very first time, he felt a pit forming in his stomach. It's almost like he could see it with his own eyes. It was a searing but cold pain. Emptiness dug its' nails deep into his heart. Worthlessness etched itself into his brain. _

_His own perspective of himself began to warp further and further into despair, with no hope of return. _

_Quickly after, he clutched his head and gem, feeling a different searing pain he'd never felt before._

_Anger. True, raw anger. Anger that he'd never felt. Anger that he'd always avoided confronting, and put to the side for the sake of others. The fury that he felt was wrong to feel. The rage that he'd never show to anybody. _

_"I fixed everything!!! I-I saved everyone!!" He felt a bubbling in his back, and was more than visible. Like a volcano waiting to burst for the first time of its' life._

_The spikes on his skull became far more visible than before, glowing in a blinding pink haze like the rest of him. His face began to shape shift and disfigure itself as his body kept randomly increasing and decreasing itself in size in separate places. _

_It was as if his pain was finally visible for the very first time, and all it wished to do is make itself be known through its' constant ebbing and throbbing of his physical form. _

_He was about to lose control, and lose sight of himself all together. _

_"WHY HASN'T ANYBODY EVER HELPED ME?!" _

Spinel felt as thought she finally understood him and his pain. His trauma. They were similar in that sense.

They both ended up feeling forgotten and worthless after all was said and done. They felt completely used up, and now that nobody had a need for them anymore, that's all they felt that they were.

Forgotten. Worthless.

_The bubbling underneath his shirt became more furious and violent, as he continued to suffer alone. _

_"WHY CAN I NOT SAVE MY SELF?!" Tears spilled out of him like an overflowing fish tank. As he mulled over his life in silence, he had finally reached a conclusion. _

_"...I'm not _worth_ saving, am I?"_

Spinel _definitely_ felt her gem shatter and had to touch it to make sure it really didn't. She wanted this to stop. She couldn't stand it anymore. Why was she forced to watch these nightmarish scenes? Why was he saying these things? Why would he feel this way? Is this really him, are these his true feelings leaking out to the surface for only Spinel to see?

She couldn't bear to see him hurt any longer. It was figuratively and probably literally killing her.

_"Because..." he fell on all fours, clutching his head. His entire body was bubbling like a pot of hot water. _

_And at long last, he would have his very first emotional release. _

_"...I'm a monster."_

_His back erupted and exploded into a towering pink mass of despair. _

But before anything else could be seen, the television screen shut itself off, and Steven fell out of Spinel's now loose grasp, falling to the floor as she took note of the copious amounts of tears flowing down his now sleeping face.

Spinel picked him up gently but rather quickly, and laid him on his bed, silently letting her own tears flow.

"I'll save ya, Steven. You've done more than enough for me. Now rest up, will ya?" Spinel covered him with his blankets and he began to fade back to his normal skin color.

On the outside, she acted calm, but on the inside, she was a wreck after what she just observed. She couldn't stop wondering if the scenes she had observed were real. She could not stop pondering if that last scene were his true feelings.

Did he really feel alone and useless? Did he really think nobody wants him or needs him anymore?

"Well... I'll be here now, and I ain't ever gonna let you forget how much you matter." She didn't even realize how uncharacteristic she sounded.

But she no longer thought of such trivial things. She felt as if her eyes had been opened to some sort of truth.

She felt a new sense of purpose, trying to help the solver of all problems solve his own, once and for all. She sniffled and let out a quiet sigh of relief as he began to relax.

The gem now realized that her problems weren't just her own anymore. She also realized that Steven's problems weren't his own anymore, either.

Spinel began to see him in a new light; he wasn't perfect. He had horrible flaws too. He had insecurity too. Regardless of wether or not the fault lie on him, the difference she seemed to notice between him and anybody else is that he's better than any single being at ignoring his own issues and problems for the sake of fixing others'.

It was quite obvious to her after witnessing those scenes how harmful and damaging this lifestyle had become for him.

And wether or not the scenes she witnessed truly happened, she would believe them without doubt and act accordingly. Spinel would do her best to be everything that Steven needed right now.

There's no way in hell she'd let Steven suffer like that. Especially not alone.

Just thinking of all the stuff she had seen play out on his television screen mere moments ago made her feel sick.

Spinel didn't necessarily feel 'saved' or 'cured' from her problems and issues, but she knew that it was her turn to do some saving. Not only did she cause major damage to this wonderful person and probably added to his pain and trauma, but she was forgiven and accepted with open arms despite all of her flaws, faults and wrongdoings.

After what she had witnessed, she felt confident and prepared to never allow him to feel like that.

She stared and stared at him as he slept, mulling over everything.

'He's a wonderful person.' She thought to herself. 'I wonder if anybody else understands that he's suffering right now... I wonder if it even crosses their minds.'

Now, it was her turn to bring Steven company as he slept off his stress and worry.

Now, she would attempt to do what Steven had been doing for her, doing for everyone else up until now.

'Has he even _told _anyone how he feels?'

Spinel would save Steven, no matter the cost.

'Well, he doesn't have to tell me twice. Don't you worry... I'm your best friend now. You're my best friend. I can't let you sit there and suffer like me. It's something that's not meant for someone as great as you.'

He'd already done so much for her. This is the least she could do for him.

She hardly even noticed how much she'd changed the past one or two days after meeting him.

Hopefully she could do the same for him, before it's far too late.

...

**That's a wrap!**

**So, the original plan for this story was literally very similar to Future's; Steven goes around helping everyone except himself and I was even going to write his corruption!! I've always wanted to write a sad, broken and depressed Steven (as awful as that sounds) because it heavily relates to me and my personality. Out of every character on this show, Steven is who I relate with more than anybody I've ever seen in a cartoon. **

**I just honestly cannot believe that SU:F _really _wrote Steven in such a meltdown and mental panic for half the miniseries. I loved every episode. I cried like an absolute fool when Steven was brought back to his senses through love and comfort, something he's needed since the beginning but never cared to speak out on for. **

**Anyway...**

**I'M SUPER SORRY! I was away for a lot longer than I wanted. Everything is okay now. Thank you all so so much for hanging in there for me. Sorry to have kept you all waiting so long, and sorry for pulling off a ridiculously long Kakashi-sensei. **

**I'm overjoyed to be back. I can't wait to finish this story especially with all this new knowledge and canon stuff from Future!!!**

**Hopefully this decently sized chapter was worth all the trouble I put you all through. :) **

**I'm planning to do many One-Shot stories as well because SU:F has re-ignited all the fires within me for my desire to write and get better at the things I love. Most of these one shots will be a Steven pairing because that's my taste, but I will write others. **

**Also, I always wanted to try writing Spinel dreaming because I think she'd have horrible nightmares, since she and Steven are both scarred and traumatized beings who need all the love and more. :(**

**Anyway!**

**Spinel is fragile baby!**

**Steven is wholesome mom but also fragile baby!**

**They belong together!**

**One more thing, _please_ tell me if you like or dislike the direction I am taking things. Please tell me if you like or dislike how I'm writing Spinel. I'm not just gonna make her problems go away. Stuff is gonna get really serious really soon, for _everybody._**

**I'll probably dedicate an entire few chapters to solving Spinel's issues once and for all, going more in-depth than ever; It's deeper than just Pink leaving her. Pink left her and caused Spinel a slew of complex mental issues that need to be worked on over time and resolved. **

**This _will _be finished. I will _not _run away anymore. I _will not _let my weaknesses control me anymore. **

**Thanks again for sticking around to read my ideas! **

**Review responses will come back next chapter. **

**See you then!**


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